


Though All The World Can Be So Cold (I'll Keep You Warm)

by thelikesofus



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Affection, Angst, Anxiety, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fainting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Lee Jihoon | Woozi-centric, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Platonic Affection, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Sharing a Bed, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepiness, Vomiting, jihoon is a good hyung, jihoon likes holding hands, jihoon loves his members, just read the tags, some trigger warning maybe?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25818421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelikesofus/pseuds/thelikesofus
Summary: Jihoon loves his members, they mean the world to him and even if he is not always so good at showing it, they know.ORShort interactions of affection between Jihoon and each member. AKA Jihoon being a good Hyung/Dongsaeng.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Chwe Hansol | Vernon & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Hong Jisoo | Joshua & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Jeon Wonwoo & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Kim Mingyu & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Lee Chan | Dino & Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Lee Jihoon | Woozi & Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Jihoon | Woozi & Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Lee Jihoon | Woozi & Xu Ming Hao | The8, Lee Jihoon | Woozi & Yoon Jeonghan, Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Everyone
Comments: 19
Kudos: 213





	1. Chan

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a short, thirteen-part series. Each chapter will be Jihoon with a different member. I wanted to try and show how he interacts with each member separately but still cares for all of them.

**_Chan_ **

He should have returned to the dorms hours ago. He had promised Seungcheol that he was almost finished for the evening, that he just wanted to listen through the track once more and then save his project. 

Seungcheol had relented but made him promise to be back at the dorms by one o'clock. However, as Jihoon had been listening through the track, the creative juices had started flowing and he knew better than to squander such an opportunity. Before he knew it he had three more scratch tracks mapped out and the clock on his studio wall was reading near four in the morning. 

Finally giving in and admitting to himself that anything he tries to do now will ultimately sound like rubbish when he listens back to it in the morning, Jihoon saves the files he has open, closes down the computer, and locks up the studio.

The walk back to the dorms only takes fifteen minutes but the air outside is brisk and by the time he steps into the foyer and toes off his shoes he can barely feel the end of his nose. He shuts the door behind as carefully as possible, knowing that if Seungcheol or god forbid Jeonghan, were to catch him coming in so late in the morning he would be given an absolute earful. They even enforce an early curfew on him, again.

Before retiring to his room for the solid two hours of sleep he has left himself time for he decides to get a glass of water from the kitchen. He would never admit it to anyone, especially Jeonghan, but sometimes his level of focus in the studio often meant he disregarded basic human needs such as hydration.

He gulps down the first glass and fills it again to take back to his room with him. On the way down the hall though he is brought to halt by a strange snuffly sound he thinks he can hear coming from inside one of the bedrooms. 

The other members should have been in bed hours ago and he assumed that they would all be well and truly asleep by now but it seems he is mistaken. 

Pushing the door open a touch he hears the sound much clearer, distinct sniffles and the short, choked breaths which only come from crying. 

Jihoon shuffles his way into the room and across the floor to find only Chan inside. Seokmin's bed against the other wall is decidedly empty, leading him to believe that the other boy had crashed with one of the other members for the night.

Chan is tangled quite impressively in his sheets, his cheeks coated in tears and shining in the pale light from the sensor bulb in the hallway. 

The maknae does not seem to have registered that Jihoon has come into the room, still sobbing softly and Jihoon cannot tell if the younger boy is actually awake or not. 

He places his glass of water on Chan's bedside table before perching in the edge of the bed beside the other boy and running his hand softly over his hair. It's tangled and slightly dap under his fingers but as Jihoon slowly works the knots out Chan seems to settle slightly. 

Slowly the younger boy becomes aware of his Hyung sitting over him and pears up at Jihoon with big, glassy eyes. Jihoon smiles softly at him and pats the top of his head a couple of times before reaching behind Chan's back and gently helping the younger boy to sit upright. 

He takes his glass of water from the bedside table and brings it to Chan's lips, tipping it slightly for the boy to drink. Once Chan fully registers what is happening his own hands come up to hold the glass and he finishes the water himself, passing the empty glass back to Jihoon when he finishes.

Jihoon puts the glass down again and wipes Chan's damp cheeks with the cuff of his sweatshirt before carefully unwrapping the blankets from the constricting cocoon he had unconsciously created. 

Once his limbs are free of their confines Chan lurches forward to wrap his arms tightly around Jihoon's neck. Jihoon freezes in shock before raising his hand to rub up and down his dongsaeng's back comfortingly. 

Chan soon detaches himself and lays back down. Jihoon tugs the blankets up around the other boy’s chin and smooths his hair away from his eyes. He watches as Chan's heavy eyelids slide shut as he falls into a now peaceful sleep. 

After waiting a moment to be sure that the younger is asleep, Jihoon makes a quick trip to the kitchen to return the now empty glass to the sink. He makes a quick stop at the bathroom to brush his teeth on his way back to Chan's room where he tugs a sweatshirt out of one of the sets of draws and changes into it. Once he's dressed in something more appropriate for sleeping he climbs into Seokmin's empty bed and watches Chan's chest rise and fall until he too falls asleep.


	2. Hansol

**_Hansol_ **

Hansol had always been a bit of an enigma to Jihoon. The boy had so many polar personality traits that Jihoon found it difficult to predict how he would react in any given situation.

Sometimes Hansol could be a complete dork, usually when following Seungkwan's lead. Other times he was one of the most level headed members of their team, even rivaling Wonwoo on occasion.

On stage, as Vernon, he was a force to be reckoned with. His boundless energy and total focus created an empowering stage presence that Jihoon both admired and envied.

Jihoon loved performing, the rush of adrenaline, the roar of the crowd. Hearing his own songs sung back to him by thousands of people just proved that all his hard work had paid off. Yet as thrilling as it was, performing was also exhausting, and as much as he loved that part of his job, the studio was definitely where Jihoon felt most at home. 

Hansol, however, thrived on stage and yet all that confidence and charisma seemed to fly out the window the moment he stepped into the studio. Some days he would be fine, breezing through recording sessions in half the time that had been allocated to him. But others, like today, things just were not going quite so smoothly.

Since he had arrived at the studio in the early afternoon, Hansol had been on edge. He had come in just at the end of Seokmin's session and had made a home for himself on the couch in the back corner of the room. He had barely said hello when he arrived and immediately tugged his headphones over his ears once he was sat down, silently mouthing the lyrics to himself while picking constantly at the rips in the knees of his jeans.

It had taken a moment for Jihoon to gain his attention after bidding Seokmin farewell. Once Hansol realized that it was his turn to partake in the recording he had quickly removed his headphones, leaving them on the couch as he made a beeline for the recording booth and situated himself behind the microphone.

Now, almost forty minutes later, they are still trying to record Hansol's first section of the track, and Jihoon can see the other boy getting more and more worked up every time he has to ask him to start again.

Jihoon had offered fifteen minutes ago that they could take a break or switch to another line for a bit, but Hansol is a perfectionist to a fault and he refused to give up on the one they were currently working on until he got it right.

After watching Hansol stumble over his words for the umpteenth time, he gazes through the soundproof window as Hansol reaches forward to shuffle the lyric sheets on the stand, highlighter in his shanking hands, and knocks the pages to the floor in a flutter. Jihoon can hear the shuttering breath he lets out through his own headphones and decides that enough is enough. Jihoon cannot stand to watch any longer as his dongsaeng spirals deeper into the pit of 'overthinking'.

He removed his own headphones, quickly saving the minimal progress they have made before entering the recording booth himself. 

He had intended to come in and help Hansol run through the lines slowly, allowing him to wrap his tongue around the rhythm of their syllables before they try recording again. However, the moment Hansol notices his Hyung enter the booth, Jihoon can see the look of panic that crosses his face as he reaches for the lyric sheets again, his breath coming in short sharp bursts.

Jihoon quickly raises his hands as if in surrender as he approaches. The last thing he wants is for Hansol to think that his Hyung is here to scold him, or for Hansol to fall into a full-blown panic attack.

Once he is stood directly in front of the younger boy he reaches out to wrap his smaller hands around one of Hansol's wrists, tugging his hand towards himself until Hansol's palm rests flat against Jihoon's chest. He can see Hansol watching as it rises and falls with each of Jihoon's breaths and slowly he starts to match his own breathing to the same consistent pattern.

After a moment or two, Hansol's panic subsides and his rocks forward to rest his forehead on top of Jihoon's shoulder, still breathing slowly, his breath coming in short puffs against Jihoon’s neck, until he is composed enough to step away and smile softly at his Hyung.

Hansol nods firmly once and Jihoon smiles back, releasing the boy’s wrist and turning to leave the booth and return to his place behind the computer. 

When he looks up through the window again Hansol is standing in front of the microphone. His shoulders are set in such a way and he looks more collected that he had since arriving at the studio over an hour ago.

After testing the levels and taking a couple of test run-throughs, Jihoon hits record and finally, they get a straight, clean take. The wide grin that blooms across Hansol's face makes Jihoon's heart melt and at the end of the recording session, Hansol leaves the studio with a decided pep in his step.


	3. Seungkwan

**_Seungkwan_ **

There were thirty minutes until they were expected onset and yet Seungkwan was nowhere to be found. He and Jihoon had been set a dual schedule that morning, a television appearance for some idol talk show. 

Jihoon had not noticed anything out of the ordinary in the van on their way in that morning. Seungkwan might have been a bit jittery but could be simply chalked that up to pre-recording excitement. 

Seungkwan thrived in front of cameras, his natural charisma, and easy-going banter allowing him to keep up with seasoned talk show hosts, even giving some of them a run for their money. Jihoon had been worrying the night before as to whether he would be able to get a word in edgewise himself. He admired Seungkwan's quick wit and sometimes wished that he could carry a conversation with such ease. 

When one of the stage crew found Jihoon standing alone in the wings, she gave him a quick rundown of their cues and then proceeded to ask him where she could find Seungkwan. The younger boy had dismissed himself earlier, claiming to be in need of a glass of water. Nearly fifteen minutes had passed since and Jihoon was starting to plan a search and rescue mission in the back of his head. 

Before he could jump to any dramatic conclusions, Jihoon assured the stagehand that he would go look for Seungkwan himself before heading in the direction of the guest refreshments table.

Another member of the show's backstage staff was refilling a basket of bread buns as he approached. Yet when he asked if Seungkwan had been there recently, she assured him that she had not seen the other boy. Something tugged at the pit of Jihoon's stomach but he elected to ignore the niggling feeling. Panicking now would do him no good.

Jihoon changed tact and headed away from the main film set and down the corridors towards the bathrooms. After stepping out of the main studio space he scoured the hallway for any sign of his dongsaeng.

The tug only grew stronger as at first he only saw empty linoleum and flickering florescent lights. Then out of the corner of his eye, he catches sight of a tuft of brightly dyed hair just around the corner into the next corridor. 

Approaching cautiously, Jihoon finds Seungkwan crouched down against the wall, his knees drawn up to his chest and his knuckles white with how tightly he is making a fist with each of his hands. 

As much as Seungkwan may shine in front of a camera, Jihoon knows that nerves can befall even the best if them. He takes in a shallow breath before crouching down to rest against the wall next to Seungkwan. He crosses his legs, sitting just close enough that his knee brushes against Seungkwan's ankle as he reaches across to clasp one of Seungkwan's fisted hands in his own. Drawing it closer to himself, Jihoon carefully unfolds Seungkwan's fingers and smooths his palm out flat enough to be able to slide his own fingers between them. He hears Seungkwan suck in a sharp breath beside him before letting it out slowly and squeezing Jihoon's hand gratefully. 

They sit like that for the next twenty minutes. As time passes, Seungkwan's breaths start to slow and even out. Jihoon continues to hold the younger boy's hand between his own until they have to move back to the side of the set. 

Even as the wait in the wings for their cue he rubs his thumb along the inside of Seungkwan's wrist repeatedly, watching as the crease between the younger boy's eyebrows smooths out. 

Jihoon squeezes his hand twice in quick succession just as they are called onto the set and the moment they are seated with the hosts Seungkwan has a wide and honest grin taking over his whole face.

Afterward, in the van on the way back to the dorms, Seungkwan sits just a bit closer to Jihoon, resting his head on his Hyung's shoulder as he scrolls through his phone. Jihoon nudges the crown of his dongsaeng's head with his cheek but otherwise, let's the boy rest there for the remainder of the drive.


	4. Minghao

_**Minghao** _

Being idols was a full time job, and traveling between schedules and events was often times just as exhausting as the activity itself. Admittedly, although they all loved what they got to do as a job, the few moments of shut eye in the van and a couple of restless hours of sleep at night were never truly enough.

It was a Friday evening when Seongcheol dragged Jihoon away from his computer by the collar of his shirt, claiming that he had to join them for 'team bonding'. He also threatened that no excuse Jihoon could come up with would be good enough to get him out of joining them. 

Resigning himself to his fate he followed with little resistance, yet Seongcheol did not let him go until they were standing in the living room, probably worried that Jihoon would make a run for it as soon as he got the chance. 

Thankfully when Jihoon takes in the state of their living area he finds a table full of snacks and the other members squeezing together onto the limited seating, blankets over knees and Jeonghan forcing Chan to remain seated in his lap. 

Jihoon manages to squeeze in between Minghao and Wonwoo, for once he is grateful for his small stature otherwise he may have had to sit on the floor like Mingyu. 

Apparently team bonding was also code for eat junk food and watch movies, and although Jihoon had had grand plans of getting as much working done in the studio tonight as possible so to allow him to make the most of his free day tomorrow, the way Minghao slouched into his side as soon has he was settled under the blanket beside him and the smell of hot chocolate being carried into the room by Junhui was enough for him to fully give in to this evening of exstreme calorie consumption.

Soonyoung picked the movie, some terribly filmed Spanish drama that did not even have Korean subtitles available so they are stuck with English ones. Only ten minutes into the movie and Joshua and Vernon are already having to translate every second line for them to have any clue what is happening. From the floor in front of the other couch Seungkwan is complaining that they should have watched  _ Mulan _ like he suggested but then Wonwoo reminds him that they watched Mulan last week.

Throughout the whole exchange, Jihoon can see Minghao's eyelids dropping further and further until his head lolls onto Jihoon's shoulder with a decided thud and Minghao is sound asleep. 

Jihoon is not surprised that the younger boy is tired, even more so than the rest of them, as Minghao and Junhui had been running from one schedule to the next all week. Both were ment to have made appearances on Chinese based talk shows and radio shows this week but when Junhui had woken up with a fever on Tuesday morning Seungcheol had forced he to stay home, this left Minghao to make all the planned appearances on his own which Jihoon knew must have been exhausting for the young boy. 

Minghao always put his heart and soul into everything things he did and Jihoon could always see how grateful he was for the opportunity he had to be a part of their team, Minghao never took anything for granted. Unfortunately his drive and determination to always prove himself also had the ability to run him into the ground.

Jihoon adjusted his arms so that he could rest one around Minghao's shoulders as the other boy settled contently against the crook of Jihoon's neck. Soonyoung sinkers when he notices how cozy the two look, making a big show of trying to take a photo of them until Jihoon shuts him down with a stern glare, lest his antics wake the sleeping boy.

Soon the members attention is turned back towards the television where the characters in Soonyoung's terrible movie choice have just unnecessary blown up a buliding. A glance at Joshua's exasperated face and Jihoon concludes that they won't last another ten minutes watching this.

He congratulates himself as less than five minutes later Chan, now free from Jeonghan's cage, is typing  _ Mulan _ into the search bar and pressing play, much to Seungkwan's delight and Wonwoo's digust. 

Before Mulan even has a chance to run away and join the imperial army, Minghao has slid further down to where his head now lays in Jihoon's lap, his feet curled up under him on the couch. 

Jihoon removes the blanket from his own legs and tucks it around Minghao's shoulders. He brushes the boy's fringe out of his eyes and spends the progression of the movie untangling the ever growing strands at the base of Minghao's neck. 

Soonyoung turns around again just as Mushu completes his dramatic introduction to Mulan and begins casting dishonour on everyone. Thankfully this time Soonyoung does not try to make a big song and dance out of Jihoon's expression of affection towards their dongsaeng. Instead he himself reaches to tuck the blanket over Minghao's exposed toes and then rests his back against Jihoon's knees, returning his focus to the movie. 

Usually Jihoon would kick him for leaning on him but at the risk of jostling Minghao awake he relents to letting Soonyoung remain there for now.

Minghao wakes up near the end of the film as Mulan is being congratulated for saving China, but he does not move from were he lays, head still comfortablely pillowed by Jihoon's thighs. It's not until after the movie has end and Seungcheol has turned off the television and began ushering the members towards their toothbrushes and beds that Minghao rolls over onto his back to gaze up at Jihoon with sleepy, doe like eyes.

Jihoon rubs a hand across the younger boy's chest and bounces he knees slightly in the hopes of helping the boy to wake up enough to walk to his bed. 

A soft, lazy smile crosses Minghao's face as he rolls to bury his nose in Jihoon's tummy. Jihoon chuckles at the boy's childishness but continues to play with his hair until he musters enough energy to sit up, removing himself from his Hyung's lap and smoothing his hair down again.

Jihoon watching quietly as Minghao makes his way down the hallway, meeting Junhui as he exits the bathroom and slings an arm around Minghao's shoulders and directs him towards his bed


	5. Mingyu

**_Mingyu_ **

The day had been long, longer than any of them had the energy for but they had persevered. Upon returning to the dorms, however, they had all crashed dramatically. 

Seokmin had face-planted onto the sofa as soon as he walked into the living and had promptly begun snoring. Mingyu had gone straight to the kitchen and prepared them all dinner, which Jeonghan had then had to spoon-feed to a beyond exhausted Sooyoung as the boy could barely keep his eyes open long enough to finish the meal.

Jihoon made a beeline for his bed as soon as he finished eating and now as he curls contently under his covers, he is beginning to feel bad for not staying to help Mingyu with the dishes. By the time the younger boy retires to their room Jihoon has already heard most of the other members go to their own beds.

Jihoon is facing the wall when Mingyu enters and he does not have the energy to roll over and greet him so instead lays quietly as he listens to the boy potter around the room, readying himself for sleep.

Jihoon listens to Mingu's footsteps and subconsciously tracks his roommate's movements around the room until he realizes that Mingyu was standing right beside his bed. Moments later Jihoon feels the rush of a cool breeze on his skin as Mingyu lifts the edge of his blanket and climbs into Jihoon's bed beside him.

Mingyu’s actions were not a common occurrence, not to the point that his sleeping with Jihoon could be considered a regular thing but it happens often enough that it no longer surprises Jihoon. Sometimes Mingyu just does not want to be alone and Jihoon is not about to deny him the comfort or risk losing another source of heat in his bed. 

In all honesty, Jihoon enjoys having his own space. He finds that there is a special type of calm that comes with being alone in a room where you feel completely comfortable. Jihoon's studio feels like that to him. His own space where everything is set up just how he likes it and no one will bother him unless he lets them, or unless they are Soonyoung who has learned to pick locks just so that he can get into Jihoon's studio without permission. 

Usually, Soonyoung only uses this newly acquired skill to break in and bring Jihoon food during one of his work-induced fasts. And although Jihoon is embarrassed to admit how often this occurs, he is quietly grateful to whoever makes step-by-step, instructional lock-picking videos on YouTube. 

Jihoon is also a very private person. He barely ever shows anyone the songs he is writing until they are finished, not even the other members. His mother always complains that he does not call her often enough and that when he does, he never tells her about what he was up to outside of 'work'. 

His dorm room is a similar sort of haven to his studio, it is a space where he can unwind and relax after a day full of schedules without anyone coming to bother him and so when he retires to his room for the night the other members know not to bother him. 

Mingyu, however, seems to be the exception to this rule. Jihoon and Mingyu have been roommates for as long as Jihoon can remember. There has been an unspoken agreement between the two of them regarding personal space since day one. Mingyu's belongings remain strictly on his side of the room and he does not touch nor borrow anything that belongs to Jihoon without first getting explicit permission to do so.

Even so, the line between what Jihoon will and will not put up with has blurred over the years. Maybe he has become lenient, less of a  _ hard arse _ as Wonwoo likes to refer to him as. In Jihoon's opinion, he had just grown used to Mingyu in a way that he now feels comfortable around the large, dopey man. Comfortable to the point where Jihoon's need for personal space had reduced, allowing for excursions such as the one taking place this evening.

Jihoon's single mattress is definitely not big enough to accommodate two adult males, certainly not with Mingyu's gangly limbs and regardless of Jihoon's size. Eventually, Mingyu situates himself so that he rests comfortably back-to-back with Jihoon, their spines pressed together and Jihoon's warm feet resting against Mingyu's cold calf muscles. 

He feels more than hears Mingyu let out a shuddering breath which is soon followed by the unmistakable sound of a stifled sob as Mingyu struggles to keep his emotions in check. If he is honest, Jihoon was almost expecting this to happen tonight. All-day he had watched Mingyu bounce from one activity to another with seemingly boundless energy. Yet Jihoon could see that his heart was not in it. All-day Mingyu's eyes had been dark and empty, the gummy smile plastered across his face doing very little to hide his inner turmoil from those who knew him best.

Without disrupting the covers that wrap around the two of them, Jihoon reaches behind himself to clasp Mingyu's larger hand in his own, letting it rest between them against their hips as he leans back more heavily against the younger boy's back.

Jihoon gauges Mingyu's reaction as he draws small circular patterns into the skin on the back of his dongsaeng's hand, squeezing it intermittently. After a few moments, Mingyu squeezes back with a lot more conviction. 

Some time passes before Mingyu's grip on Jihoon's hand begins to loosen and Jihoon listens as Mingyu's breathing evens out, eventually matching the pacing of Jihoon's breaths. Once he is certain that Mingyu is asleep, Jihoon releases his hand rolls onto his other side so that his chest is pressed up against Mingyu's back.

With careful movements he reaches to tuck his arms around Mingyu's waist, Jihoon holds his breath as one of Mingyu's hands subconsciously comes up to grab Jihoon's, and then relaxes as Mingyu grips it tightly and tucks it snuggly against his chest. Smiling softly to himself, Jihoon shuffles closer so that he can rest his forehead between Mingyu's shoulder blades, selfishly leeching as much warmth from his Dongsaeng as he can.

Mingyu has always been a very expressive person but that trait stops when it comes to his darker emotions. Over time Jihoon has come to understand that when his dongsaeng is feeling at his lowest; quiet and consistent comfort is all he craves. Knowing that his Hyung will be there to hold his heart as he falls asleep is enough reassurance for Mingyu. Jihoon often worries that he does not do enough to fill his role as a ‘Hyung’ but as Mingyu sighs contently and shuffles closer to Jihoon, he knows that he is doing all that Mingyu requires of him. 


	6. Seokmin

_**Seokmin** _

The dorm is a mess at 6:42 am. Minghao and Mingyu have already had one heated argument, Seungcheol is running around like a headless chicken and Hansol looks as if he is about to fall asleep in his cereal. All this and the sun has not even risen yet.

The group had been scheduled at 8 am for an early appearance at the venue for the later scheduled fansign event, however, Seungcheol's alarm had failed to go off and this started a ricochet effect throughout the rest of the members. 

Jihoon had quickly gotten to work preparing breakfast for the others as they all rushed to get ready. Jihoon acknowledged that he was not the greatest cook but at the time Mingyu had been too preoccupied with yelling insults back and forth with Minghao to adopt his usual role as ‘group chef’. 

Jihoon looks up as Seungcheol comes back into the room. He watches as their leader does a headcount, scrunchies up his nose in confusion, and then proceeds to start recounting them. Jihoon also does a quick headcount, acknowledging that Jeonghan was currently in the shower and that Jun was standing outside the bathroom door yelling at Jeonghan to _'Hurry Up!'_ , yet he only counts ten including himself and Seungcheol. 

Seongcheol, always quicker at identifying who was missing, without a beat sents Soonyoung to go find Seokmin. Soonyoung hands Jihoon his dirty dishes before scurrying out of the room. 

As the younger leaves, Seungcheol sinks into a bar stole in front of the kitchen counter with a heavy sigh. Jihoon chuckles to himself as he pushes a full plate in front of his Hyung's nose and then returns to washing Soonyoung's dishes. 

He looks up again as Soonyoung returns to the living area, alone, and with a drawn expression across his face. Moments later Seokmin appears looking very much worse for wear and Seungcheol is instantly up from his seat and in front of the younger boy, fussing over him.

Jihoon carefully coerces the empty bowl from under Hansol's drooping head and ushers the boy out of the kitchen or get dressed with Soonyoung following close behind.

He listens quietly as Seungcheol asks Seokmin if he is feeling alright and his stomach sinks as he sees Seokmin try to respond only for the words to get caught in a decidedly scratchy throat before the boy is shaken by a barrage of coughs. 

A heavy feeling settles in Jihoon's gut as he recognizes the symptoms of an oncoming flu. Glancing across the room he can see that Seungcheol is coming to the same conclusion and frowns as tears begin to pool in the corners of Seokmin's eyes. 

Seungcheol carefully guides Seokmin to a seat at the counter as Jihoon places a plate of breakfast in front of the boy. Jihoon can see the cogs turning in Seungcheol's mind as he tries to think of a way to rectify the situation. They have to leave the dorms in the next twenty minutes and the fansign is scheduled to start in less than three hours. In his current state, Seokmin will be lucky if the staff let him participate.

As Seungcheol opens his mouth to console him the sound of the leader's name being shouted down the hallway by Minghao echos through the room. Seungcheol turns to Jihoon with wide pleading eyes and Jihoon nods to him, letting him know that he has the kitchen covered. 

Seungcheol ruffles Seokmin's hair and presses a kiss to his forehead before giving the boy's shoulder a rough squeeze and rushing out of the room, hoping to intervene before Mingyu meets his untimely death. 

Jihoon watches Seokmin pick at his breakfast, a concern in itself as Seokmin usually inhales any food within moments of it being placed in front of him, as he putters around the kitchen preparing something to soothe his dongsaeng's throat. 

After stirring honey and lemon juice into a mug of hot water and topping it up with cold water to cool it for drinking, Jihoon rounds the counter and sets the mug beside Seokmin's plate, taking a seat beside him.

As soon as Seokmin's gaze meets Jihoon's the younger boy's eyes begin to fill with tears again and his lower lip wobbles. 

Seokmin has always expressed his emotions openly and commonly reacted more strongly to situations, oftentimes his emotions are more profound than Jihoon knew how to comprehend. Still, he understands how upset Seokmin must be feeling at the prospect of not being able to participate fully in the fansign. 

Seokmin thrives on such social situations. He interacts with the fans so animatedly and gives every ounce of his energy to those who come to see them. Yet somehow even after a long day of performing, signing autographs, and talking almost non-stop, Seokmin always returns to the dorms even more recharged than ever. 

Jihoon hates that that opportunity may be taken away from him by something as trifling as a sore throat and that there is very little Jihoon can do to help.

As Jihoon reaches up to wipe away the tears threatening to spill down Seokmin's cheeks, Seokmin opens his mouth to try and speak only to be wracked with another fit of dry coughs. Jihoon internally cringes as the rasping in the back of his dongsaeng's throat scratches up his windpipe. Jihoon shakes his head with a sigh and roughly places his fingers under Seokmin's chin, closing his mouth in a firm declaration for the boy not to try and speak. 

Jihoon pushes the mug closer towards Seokmin's hands and waits until he lifts it to his mouth and takes a small sip before wrapping his hand around the nap of Seokmin's neck and squeezing reassuringly. He watches Seokmin take a few more sips before standing and returning to washing the dishes.

He glances back now and then to be sure that Seokmin is still eating his breakfast and sipping at the drink but otherwise leaves the boy to compose himself for the day ahead. 

Jihoon prepares another warm honey and lemon mixture in a travel mug which he hands to Seokmin as they settle in the van. Seokmin smiles shyly at his Hyung but refrains from speaking on the ride to the studio. 

By the time they are called to the conference room, Seokmin has finished the drink Jihoon made him as well as three cough drops which Chan dug from the bottom of his backpack. 

As they wait in the wings Jihoon stands behind Seokmin and places a hand reassuringly in the small of the taller boy's back. Seokmin presses back into it in silent acknowledgment and Jihoon nudges him forward as they are announced.

As soon as Seokmin takes the stage he is all wide smiles and barely contained excitement. Jihoon struggles to hide his smile as he watches his dongsaeng wave energetically to the gathered crowd. He is practically glowing, a stark contrast to the boy in the kitchen that morning. Jihoon feels a rush of pride and comes to stand beside Seokmin as they introduce themselves.


	7. Wonwoo

_**Wonwoo** _

__

Wonwoo was known to be a quiet person by nature, often even quieter than Jihoon himself. After many years spent together, the two had a mutual understanding of the concept of companionable silence, each of them simply content to sit side by side without saying a word. 

Even so, Wonwoo had noticeably been a lot more quiet than usual recently. Even Mingyu's consistent pestering elicited very little reaction from the older boy, and after their schedule had finished for the day, Wonwoo had seemingly been content to sit in one corner of the dressing room with his nose buried in his book.

Usually, this would not be of any cause for concern, as it was widely understood that Wonwoo often favored immersing himself in a fictional universe over interacting with his members after a long day. Though what had caught Jihoon’s interest was the notable fact that Wonwoo had not turned the page in over half an hour. As Wonwoo was someone who usually chewed through novels at an impressive pace, in Jihoon's mind, this observation was definitely a red flag.

Admittedly, Jihoon had noticed that in the last couple of days Wonwoo had been zoning out more and more frequently. His growing concern regarding how much sleep the older boy had been getting had led to Jihoon broaching the topic with Seungcheol that morning in the van on the way to the studio. Seungcheol had assured him that he would keep an extra eye on Wonwoo, and yet Jihoon remained unsettled. 

Watching him now, taking in the heavy set of the boy's shoulders and the growing dark circles under his eyes, barely concealed by the frames of his glasses, Jihoon could not help but wonder when the last time that Wonwoo got a full night's sleep was. 

As a group, Seventeen had recently started filming for a new season of their variety show, Going Seventeen, and as much as they all enjoyed the weird and wacky activities they got to partake in, they could not deny the emotional and physical toll the process took on all of them. Although in the long run, it was more than worth it to see the reactions that the videos got from fans.

Regardless, even one sleepless night amidst their strenuous schedule could leave any of them grasping at the edges of their stamina.

With careful regard for the other boys resting in the dressing room, Jihoon stands from his seat between Chan and Minghao and moves across the room, stepping over a softly snoring Soonyoung in the process, to take a seat next to Wonwoo. 

In a testament to how exhausted he must be, Wonwoo does not acknowledge Jihoon's appearance until Jihoon rests a hand carefully on the boy's shoulder, shaking him out of his stupor. 

Wonwoo looks across at him with glazed eyes and Jihoon's expression softens from one of worry to one of reassurance as he slowly reaches to remove the book from Wonwoo's hands. Wonwoo, let's him take it with little to no resistance and waits as Jihoon places a nearby napkin between the pages to mark his place before leaving the book on the coffee table and returning to Wonwoo's side.

Wonwoo gives very little protest as Jihoon applies pressure to his Hyung's shoulders, guiding him to lay down on the couch and rest his head on Jihoon's thighs. 

Jihoon drags his fingers through Wonwoo's dark, silky hair, letting the soft strands slip between his fingers as his nails scratch against the crown of Wonwoo's head, and slowly he feels the tension melt out of Wonwoo's shoulders as he lets out a soft hum and the boy's head grows heavy in Jihoon's lap. He continues the slow, methodical motions until he recognizes the shallow intake of Wonwoo's breath and the lax expression on his face. Wonwoo had fallen asleep. 

Jihoon smiles softly to himself as he pushes a few wayward strands of hair away from Wonwoo's forehead and carefully plucks his glasses off his nose. He nudges nearby Jun with the toe of his shoe and passes the glasses to him to place on the coffee table and before Jun locates a nearby blanket and helps Jihoon to drape it around Wonwoo's shoulders. 

He watches the rise and fall of Wonwoo's chest until he begins to feel his own eyes droop, his own exhaustion raring its head. Giving in to temptation, he rests one hand on Wonwoo's shoulder and leans his head back against the wall, letting his eyes fall shut.

Just before Jihoon joins Wonwoo in slumber he feels a soft grip on his hand as Wonwoo pulls it from his shoulder to hold it under his chin, and Jihoon falls asleep with a small smile on his face.

The two are woken nearly an hour later by Jeonghan crouched in front of them, explaining that the van had arrived to return them to the dorms. 

Jihoon helps Wonwoo to sit upright and quickly collects the boy's book and glasses from the table before guiding the very drowzy boy out of the building and into the waiting van alongside the other members.

Once seated next to Jihoon at the front of the van, Wonwoo promptly falls back asleep, his head rested on Jihoon's shoulder. He remains there until the van comes to a stop in the parking garage below their dorm building and once inside, the very sleepy boy is quickly ushered off to bed by both Seungcheol and Jun.


	8. Soonyoung

_**Soonyoung** _

They are tired, they all are. It is the kind of tired that numbs you to the bone and fills your head with cotton wool. Jihoon has not been able to feel anything below his knees for the last half hour and he thinks can see Seungkwan's hands shaking as they hang at his sides. He has been continually clenching and releasing his fists as if to promote blood flow to his fingers.

One minute they are running through the choreography, limbs moving on autopilot, and the next Soonyoung is across the room, his head in a garbage can, and when the music stops the room is filled with a gut-wrenching gagging sound as Soonyoung empties the contents of his stomach.

Jeonghan is by Soonyoung's side in an instant, he rubs his hand up and down between Soonyoung's shoulder blades and wipes Soonyoung's fridge out of his eyes with the fingers of his other hand. 

Jihoon's stomach drops to the floor as he watches the way Soonyoung's arms shake and listens to the dry scratchy sound of his friend trying desperately not to throw up again. 

Jihoon quickly runs through the events of the morning in his mind, trying to pinpoint any sigh he may have missed that would have indicated that Soonyoung was feeling unwell. Yet he cannot think of anything. Either Soonyoung was much better at hiding how he was feeling than Jihoon thought, or this illness had come on very quickly, very recently. 

Recognising that Joshua already has Chan tucked into his side and that Jun and Seungcheol are occupied ushering the rest of the members to the other side of the room, Jihoon moves to join Jeonghan and Wonwoo by Soonyoung's side. 

As soon as he has crouched down beside Soonyoung and the boy notices his presence Soonyoung reaches out and grasps Jihoon's hand tightly in his clasp. 

Jeonghan continues to rub his back as Wonwoo presses a cool water bottle against Soonyoung's forehead. Jihoon can hear Jeonghan whispering softly to Soonyoung, asking if he is still feeling queasy. His response comes in the form of another dry, hacking wretch and Soonyoung throwing up into the trash can again. 

Soonyoung let's out a low pittiful wine, obviously becoming upset at the situation and Jihoon squeezes his hand back tightly. Jihoon mets Jeonghan's eyes over Soonyoung's back, silently communicating with him that he will take care for Soonyoung from here. 

He waits as Jeonghan quietly explains to Soonyoung that Jihoon is going to help him to the nearest bathroom and he watches as Soonyoung take a few deep breaths obviously collecting himself, before he gives a couple of firm nods and allows Jihoon and Wonwoo to sit him up straight. 

Jihoon carefully lifts Soonyoung's right arm and rests it around his shoulders, tucking himself into Soonyoung's side until he is able to support some of Soonyoung's weight and pull him up to standing. 

Jihoon makes sure to take the bottle of water from Wonwoo as they stand up and promises to keep Jeonghan updated on Soonyoung's condition while the rest of them return to practice. 

Once Soonyoung is on his feet they stand still for a moment, giving him a chance to steady himself and let his stomach settle before he leans half his weight on Jihoon and allows himself to be guided across the practice room floor, out the door and into the hallway. 

Jihoon can feel Soonyoung shivering against his side and can hear him whining softly every time his stomach rolls. The hallway is quiet when they step outside and there is a glowing sign attached to the wall directing them to the bathrooms.

Jihoon guides Soonyoung inside one if the stand alone, enclosed disability toilets, providing them with some privacy rather than occupying a stall in the main male bathroom. As soon as the toilet bowl is in his direct line of site, Soonyoung pulls himself out of Jihoon's grip and makes a beeline for the floor in front of it, once again heaving up whatever he had eaten so far that day. 

Jihoon's heart breaks for his friend. He knows first hand how much Soonyoung hates being sick, not only because he feels like rubbish but also because he has to miss dance practices and schedules. Soonyoung thrives from being on stage, in front of a crowd, goofing off for a camera and simply dancing his heart out alone in a practice room. 

Jihoon knows that once Soonyoung's mind is not preoccupied with trying to keep his breakfast down he will be vying to try and go back to practice. Not that Jihoon will let him, of Jeonghan or Seungcheol for that matter. 

Returning his attention to Soonyoung, Jihoon joins him in the bathroom stall, making sure to lock the door behind him before he settles himself on the floor next to Soonyoung and starts to rub his shoulders in the same way Jeonghan was earlier.

Soonyoung takes the bottle of water from him and uses it to rinse out his mouth, most likely hoping to get ride of the taste of vomit. He spits the water out after and rests heavily against the toilet. 

Jihoon listens to Soonyoung's rattled breaths and watches as his head drops with exhaustion, nothing masking the sunken expression on his face.

Jihoon ducks his head down to make eye contact with Soonyoung and the other boy tries to reassure him with a weak smile but Jihoon can see right through it. He moves his hand up to the back of Soonyoung's neck, weaving his fingers into the soft hair at the base of his head, massaging softly. 

Soonyoung takes deep, calculated breaths as he leans into Jihoon's touch. Ten minutes later Soonyoung push himself away from the toilet bowl and slouches against Jihoon's side heavily. 

Jihoon hums under his breath and carefully manouvers Soonyoung's body so that he is laying with his head in Jihoon's lap. Soonyoung lets out a content sigh as Jihoon's fingers return to his hair, his other hand rubs slow circles into his lower back and around his sides. Soonyoung had always responded well to physical reassurance and as Jihoon always tried to use whatever method suited the person best, for now they would stay this way. 

Every fifteen minutes or so Soonyoung would groan in Jihoon's lap before lurching up to dry heave into the toilet bowl again but nothing more came up. This continued for almost two hours, Jihoon keeping Jeonghan updated every so often so that he would not worry too much, though he would regardless. 

Soonyoung soon feel asleep in Jihoon's lap, lulled by the repetative motions of Jihoon's hands and the pure exhaustion of throwing up multiple times.

Jihoon texts Seungcheol to help him move Soonyoung to the dorm and not five minutes later there is a soft knock on the bathroom door. 

Jihoon quickly removes the sweatshirt he us wearing and balls it up to tuck under Soonyoung's head as he left to on the floor to unlock the door for Seungcheol. 

Seungcheol carefully bends down to ease his arms under Soonyoung's knees and behind his back and then he lifts him up slowly so that he is craddled against his chest. Jihoon follows him to the car that one of the managers Hyungs had pulled up in and they transfer Soonyoung inside. 

The drive back to the dorm takes no longer than fifteen minutes but when they arrive Soonyoung is partially stiring from his sleep. He is coherent enough to walk up the stairs on his own but Jihoon stays nearby as he follows him, just in case. Seungcheol reminds Jihoon to text him for anything before returning to the practice rooms with the manager.

Once the two of them reach their dorm, Jihoon directs Soonyoung to his bed where he collapses in a heap on top of the covers. Jihoon manouvers his limbs until he is under the duvet and Jihoon shifts the pillow to be comfortablely under Soonyoung's head. It is times like this that make Jihoon feel more like the Hyung than Soonyoung, seeing Soonyoung so vulnerable in this state reminds him of the wide eyes boy he first met as a trainee. Jihoon brushes the hair out of Soonyoung's eyes and shakes himself out of his thoughts before he leaves the room briefly. 

In the kitchen, Jihoon boils some water and fills a bottle which he puts in the fridge to cool down for when Soonyoung wakes up. He uses the remaining hot water to make himself a cup of tea and then returns to Soonyoung's room. 

When he returns Soonyoung is asleep again and snoring softly. He still looks a little pale but Jihoon is not too worried. When he wakes up Jihoon will have him drink a glass of water and maybe he'll try to get him to eat some toast or something similar. 

For now he settles on the other bunk bed next to Soonyoung's and watches the way the boy's chest rises and falls, evenly now as opposed to the ragged and uneven nature it had earlier. Soonyoung will be okay. Seungcheol will probably force him to take a day or two to rest but Jihoon is sure that soon enough Soonyoung will be back in the practise room with them all, dancing to his heart's content. 

* * *

The next day Mingyu finds an empty bottle of very expired banana milk in the kitchen which can be credited with Soonyoung upset stomach and Soonyoung is given a stern talking to by Joshua about reading labels before consuming perishable snacks. 

**Author's Note:**

> New parts will be up soon! Tags will be updated as I go. Please leave a comment and/or Kudos, they honestly mean the world to me and I love reading all you comments whether its feedback or unintelligible keyboard smashes! <3
> 
> Meegs xx


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